Highlight text in a PDF
Drag over the text and it’s highlighted, just like with a highlighter pen. You can also underline or strike out, and choose from five colors.
Processed on your deviceNothing is uploaded to servers
Drag a PDF here
PDF files
Files are opened on your device and never uploaded.
How it works
Choose the PDF
Drag the file or use the button. The “Highlight” tool is already selected.
Drag over the text
The highlight follows the lines of text from where you start to where you let go. A click highlights a single word.
Download the PDF
You get the PDF with your highlights, which show up in any PDF viewer and when you print.
Frequently asked questions
Is the text still readable under the highlight?
Yes. The highlight blends its color with the page, like a highlighter pen: the background turns colored and the letters stay black, on screen and in print.
What if the PDF is a scan?
In a scan, the letters are just an image and there’s no text to follow. In that case, the highlight covers the rectangle you drag, and MovaDoc tells you so. Getting text out of a scanned PDF needs text recognition (OCR), which MovaDoc doesn’t do yet.
Do the highlights show up in other programs?
Yes. They’re regular PDF highlights, the same kind Adobe Acrobat Reader makes: we checked that they show up in the PDF readers built into Chrome, Edge and Firefox, and Acrobat Reader and macOS Preview also show this kind of annotation. Whoever receives the PDF can see them, delete them or add more.
Can I highlight several passages in a row?
Yes. The “Highlight” tool stays selected after each highlight, so just keep dragging. On a phone, to scroll the page with your finger, choose “Select”, then go back to “Highlight”.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything happens in your browser: the file and the text you highlight never leave your device.